MTPockets
Well-known member
Www.dieselfilters.com has the OEM filters for my Ford; may have the Ram as well. Half the price as dealer.
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Ram Diesel Filter source
- Thread starter Bones
- Start date
SNOKING
Well-known member
The Stratapore is a special filter media that does an excellent job. The Cummins engines has oil jets below the pistons that shoot oil onto the piston to cool them. These jets are noted to plug up and destroy the engine if media gets loose from the filter. So the use of Fleetquard (a Cummins Company) or Mopar filters is an insurance policy to remove blame if this occurs.
Chris
olcoon
Well-known member
I'm fortunate enough to have a Cummin's dealer less than 10 miles from the house, so I go there & get the fuel filter for my 2010 Ram. Dodge want's $100.00 plus and I can get it there for $48.00, I buy the MoPar filter at Walmart for $14.00. Also, I used to use Rotella T, and heard that I shouldn't use it as it wasn't up to specs for the Cummins. I talked to Cummins about it, and they advised me NOT to use Rotella T as it builds up too much sludge. They recommend & sell Pennzoil, & it's even got their logo on the label.
Doublegranch
Mountain Region Director-Retired
Not sure what the difference is between Rotella and Rotella T, but Dodge dealers are using Rotella for oil changes. My dealer made the switch to Rotella when I had my 11 Ram and now I get life time free oil & filter changes with my 16 Ram. In over a 184,000 miles on my 04, 105,000 on my 11 and now the 16, I have always used Rotella and never an issue!
Doublegranch
Mountain Region Director-Retired
I am on hold with Cummings regarding Rotella, but here is a Cummings service bulletin regarding oil:
This Service Bulletin outlines the proper application and maintenance of engine oil for Cummins® engines. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to update and simplify Cummins Inc. recommendations and guidelines for the end user. Cummins Inc. recommends the use of a high quality, diesel engine oil such as Valvoline Premium Blue® or Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme Life® or their equivalent, and high quality filters such as Fleetguard® or their equivalent. Cummins Inc. bases oil drain recommendations on oil performance classifications and duty cycle. Maintaining the correct oil and filter change interval is a vital factor in preserving the integrity of an engine. Consult your Operation and Maintenance manual for detailed instructions on determining the oil change interval for your engine.
Synthetic Oils Use of “synthetic engine oils” (those made with API group 3 or group 4 base stocks) is permitted subject to the same performance and viscosity limitations of petroleum (mineral) based engine oils. The same oil change intervals must be applied to synthetic oils that are applied to petroleum (mineral) based engine oils. Re-refined Oils Re-refined lubricating oils can be used in Cummins® engines, if they have an API license signifying they have been tested and meet the minimum standards for that quality level. It is important to be certain these oils are actually re-refined and not just reclaimed. Re-refined oils have been treated to remove additives and wear debris, distilled, and refortified with additives. Friction Modifiers Do not use oils containing supplemental friction modifiers in Cummins® diesel engines unless the oil supplier can provide evidence of satisfactory performance in Cummins® engines. Obtain the oil supplier's commitment that they will make sure the oil is satisfactory, or do not use the product.
Some oil suppliers might claim better fuel economy for the lower viscosity oils. Lower viscosity results in lower oil film thickness. Therefore, Cummins Inc. has required that all multi-viscosity 30 weight (xW30) oils registered under CES 20078 (API CI-4) must meet the minimum High Temperature / High Shear viscosity of 3.5 cSt. These can be used over a wider temperature range than other 10W30 or 5W30 oils. As these oils will have directionally thinner oil films than 15W40 oils, top quality Fleetguard® filters must be used above 20°C [70°F]. See Figure 1 for viscosity recommendations.
Viscosity Recommendations Cummins Inc. recommends the use of multigrade lubricating oils with viscosity grades shown in Figure 1 for the ambient temperatures indicated. Only the preferred oil grades are shown in the figure. If monograde oils are substituted for multigrade oils in the areas where multigrades are not currently available, shortened drain intervals might be required, as determined by close monitoring of the oil condition with scheduled oil sampling. Use of monograde oils can affect engine oil control.
Section 7: OIL FILTRATION Oil Filter Design, Use and Function Maximum engine life is dependent on the correct use and maintenance of full flow, bypass, or combination lubricating oil filters that protect vital engine components from the abrasive contaminant, which are held in suspension in the lubricating oil. Cummins Inc. requires the use of full flow filters on all of its engine models. In addition, except for the B Series model, all turbocharged Cummins® engines must use bypass filtration, bypass filtration is strongly recommended for use on all naturally aspirated engines. The full flow filter will remove contaminant particles of 30 microns and larger that are suspended in the engine oil. Particles of this size can cause immediate bearing damage. The bypass filter (or filter section if using a combination filter) receives approximately ten percent of the total pump output and filters it to remove smaller particles, down to 10 microns, which the full flow filter does not capture. This maintains the oil contaminant concentration at a level low enough to prevent engine wear. Cummins® engines are fitted at the factory with a quality Fleetguard® combination lubricating oil filter, which contains both a full flow and bypass filter in one filter can. Many of them are a Venturi® design which directs all of the oil flow to vital engine parts, instead or returning a portion of it to the pan. These filters provide the optimum balance of fine filtration for protection and rugged construction designed for long filter life. Some Cummins® engines are being supplied with a Fleetguard Centriguard™ centrifugal filter using ConeStaC™ technology. These are the only centrifugal filters demonstrated in laboratory testing to surpass Fleetguard's stacked disk bypass filters. Any add-on filtration system must meet all applicable application guidelines.
This Service Bulletin outlines the proper application and maintenance of engine oil for Cummins® engines. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to update and simplify Cummins Inc. recommendations and guidelines for the end user. Cummins Inc. recommends the use of a high quality, diesel engine oil such as Valvoline Premium Blue® or Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme Life® or their equivalent, and high quality filters such as Fleetguard® or their equivalent. Cummins Inc. bases oil drain recommendations on oil performance classifications and duty cycle. Maintaining the correct oil and filter change interval is a vital factor in preserving the integrity of an engine. Consult your Operation and Maintenance manual for detailed instructions on determining the oil change interval for your engine.
Synthetic Oils Use of “synthetic engine oils” (those made with API group 3 or group 4 base stocks) is permitted subject to the same performance and viscosity limitations of petroleum (mineral) based engine oils. The same oil change intervals must be applied to synthetic oils that are applied to petroleum (mineral) based engine oils. Re-refined Oils Re-refined lubricating oils can be used in Cummins® engines, if they have an API license signifying they have been tested and meet the minimum standards for that quality level. It is important to be certain these oils are actually re-refined and not just reclaimed. Re-refined oils have been treated to remove additives and wear debris, distilled, and refortified with additives. Friction Modifiers Do not use oils containing supplemental friction modifiers in Cummins® diesel engines unless the oil supplier can provide evidence of satisfactory performance in Cummins® engines. Obtain the oil supplier's commitment that they will make sure the oil is satisfactory, or do not use the product.
Some oil suppliers might claim better fuel economy for the lower viscosity oils. Lower viscosity results in lower oil film thickness. Therefore, Cummins Inc. has required that all multi-viscosity 30 weight (xW30) oils registered under CES 20078 (API CI-4) must meet the minimum High Temperature / High Shear viscosity of 3.5 cSt. These can be used over a wider temperature range than other 10W30 or 5W30 oils. As these oils will have directionally thinner oil films than 15W40 oils, top quality Fleetguard® filters must be used above 20°C [70°F]. See Figure 1 for viscosity recommendations.
Viscosity Recommendations Cummins Inc. recommends the use of multigrade lubricating oils with viscosity grades shown in Figure 1 for the ambient temperatures indicated. Only the preferred oil grades are shown in the figure. If monograde oils are substituted for multigrade oils in the areas where multigrades are not currently available, shortened drain intervals might be required, as determined by close monitoring of the oil condition with scheduled oil sampling. Use of monograde oils can affect engine oil control.
Section 7: OIL FILTRATION Oil Filter Design, Use and Function Maximum engine life is dependent on the correct use and maintenance of full flow, bypass, or combination lubricating oil filters that protect vital engine components from the abrasive contaminant, which are held in suspension in the lubricating oil. Cummins Inc. requires the use of full flow filters on all of its engine models. In addition, except for the B Series model, all turbocharged Cummins® engines must use bypass filtration, bypass filtration is strongly recommended for use on all naturally aspirated engines. The full flow filter will remove contaminant particles of 30 microns and larger that are suspended in the engine oil. Particles of this size can cause immediate bearing damage. The bypass filter (or filter section if using a combination filter) receives approximately ten percent of the total pump output and filters it to remove smaller particles, down to 10 microns, which the full flow filter does not capture. This maintains the oil contaminant concentration at a level low enough to prevent engine wear. Cummins® engines are fitted at the factory with a quality Fleetguard® combination lubricating oil filter, which contains both a full flow and bypass filter in one filter can. Many of them are a Venturi® design which directs all of the oil flow to vital engine parts, instead or returning a portion of it to the pan. These filters provide the optimum balance of fine filtration for protection and rugged construction designed for long filter life. Some Cummins® engines are being supplied with a Fleetguard Centriguard™ centrifugal filter using ConeStaC™ technology. These are the only centrifugal filters demonstrated in laboratory testing to surpass Fleetguard's stacked disk bypass filters. Any add-on filtration system must meet all applicable application guidelines.
porthole
Retired
Many IC engines, diesel or gasoline, liquid or air cooled, have cooling jets for the pistons.
Seldom I have heard or seen the jets clogging. Has Cummins issued a TSB regarding this?
BTW, MOPAR or Chrysler motor parts as it used to be known, does not make filters.
Since Fleetguard is Cummins (Cummins Filtration) it makes sense that is the recommended filter. Fleetguard makes an excellent product, and if the Stratapore was available for Ford I would probably use it. But, like many manufacturers, they are not perfect. There has been some history with the oil filters failing and loss of oil pressure causing main bearing failures.
Blame is hard to prove, even if you didn't maintain proper maintenance schedules and supplies.
- - - Updated - - -
" talked to Cummins about it, and they advised me NOT to use Rotella T"
Talked to the dealer - or a Cummins engineer directly?
I worked at several new car dealers in the past. And the oil we always recommended was the cheapest stuff we could get or the oil the gave us the most value in return.
Seldom did we put in MOPAR oil from bottles unless the customer specifically requested it. One reason many dealers and oil change shops can charge the lower prices they do is because they are buying bulk oil.
Pennzoil is good, so is Mobil 1 as well as Rotella T products.
olcoon
Well-known member
I'm far from an expert, and barely knowledgeable enough to change the oil myself. I'm just going by what I was told by them at Cummins. A mechanic was there when I asked the question, and he said when he tore into an engine he could always tell the ones that had Rotella in them, by the amount of sludge, over & above what other oil created.
I think I'll stick with what Cummins recommended, after all, they build the engines, they should know something about them.
Power247
Well-known member
Interesting question. I never have personally. And we never did for any of the trucks at work, big or small.
Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310
porthole
Retired
No. Follow proper oil change intervals and there will be no reason to add any mechanic in a can stuff.
porthole
Retired
Given how well the Cummins has been, I'm going to call malarkey on this mechanic. Just how many Cummins engines has he tore down and was able to tell what kind of oil the truck had by looking at it?
I have torn down many engines, transmissions, transaxles, gear boxes and differentials, Chrysler products to Cat 3208's, some GM 2 strokes and a couple of Cummins 904's for good measure. A bunch of Harley's too.
I cannot recall being able to tell what brand and type of oil a customer was running. The only exception would be that I can tell when someone is using Redline Shockproof in a bike trans.
He is almost as good as the mechanic that smelled water in Ricatic's truck and caused his warranty engine failure to be denied.
porthole
Retired
SNOKING
Well-known member
Yep, saw that and read it back in 01 when it came out. That is part of the reason I made post #22. Did I say I was on my 3rd RAM/Cummins (93, 01.5 and 15) and had two in the boat?
Chris
Doublegranch
Mountain Region Director-Retired
I'm far from an expert, and barely knowledgeable enough to change the oil myself. I'm just going by what I was told by them at Cummins. A mechanic was there when I asked the question, and he said when he tore into an engine he could always tell the ones that had Rotella in them, by the amount of sludge, over & above what other oil created.
I think I'll stick with what Cummins recommended, after all, they build the engines, they should know something about them.
[Just got this email from Cummins customer support regarding OIL.....
Cummins Care PowerMaster <powermaster@cummins.com>
1:56 PM (35 minutes ago) 
to me
Good afternoon Garry,
Cummins only oil recommendation for Cummins diesel engines is 15W-40 weight oil that is API certified CJ-4 Low Ash oil meeting Cummins Engineering Standard.
All Cummins diesel engines come from the factory containing Valvoline Premium Blue 15W-40 (a synthetic blend); however, we do not endorse any brand of oil. As long as it meets the specifications, it is acceptable for use.
However, we suggest that you reach out to your local RAM dealer or contact Ram customer service for clarification on their preference, (866-726-4636) 866-RAM-INFO.
Thank you for contacting Cummins,
Sandra
Customer Care Representative
So it appears that was one persons opinion and not that of Cummins to use Pennzoil ]
porthole
Retired
'nuff said right there, same recommendation from the other two as well (without the Cummins disclaimer).
I wonder if the wonder guy realizes how much money he could save the EPA and DEP when they have to do forensic fingerprinting of unknown oil samples.
Interesting on the blend.
I use Rotella T4, T5 and T6, whichever is the most cost effective at the time. T5 is a blend similar to the Valvoline listed above.
SNOKING
Well-known member
I'm far from an expert, and barely knowledgeable enough to change the oil myself. I'm just going by what I was told by them at Cummins. A mechanic was there when I asked the question, and he said when he tore into an engine he could always tell the ones that had Rotella in them, by the amount of sludge, over & above what other oil created.
I think I'll stick with what Cummins recommended, after all, they build the engines, they should know something about them.
[Just got this email from Cummins customer support regarding OIL.....
Cummins Care PowerMaster <powermaster@cummins.com> 1:56 PM (35 minutes ago)
to me
Good afternoon Garry,
Cummins only oil recommendation for Cummins diesel engines is 15W-40 weight oil that is API certified CJ-4 Low Ash oil meeting Cummins Engineering Standard.
All Cummins diesel engines come from the factory containing Valvoline Premium Blue 15W-40 (a synthetic blend); however, we do not endorse any brand of oil. As long as it meets the specifications, it is acceptable for use.
However, we suggest that you reach out to your local RAM dealer or contact Ram customer service for clarification on their preference, (866-726-4636) 866-RAM-INFO.
Thank you for contacting Cummins,
Sandra
Customer Care Representative
So it appears that was one persons opinion and not that of Cummins to use Pennzoil ]
Hummm? I thought the RAMs all came with 5W-40 synthetic, because they do not where it is going to be delivered. RAM's spec is 15W-40 oil for temps 0 degree F or warmer. For temps below 5W-40 Synthetic. Again this are RAMs specs, they buy the engines without a Cummins warranty and warranty them themselves BTW. Chris
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Jim.Allison
Well-known member
Any oil with this spec; Cummins CES 20081, https://www.genosgarage.com/product/fleetguard-lf16035-oil-filter/oil-filters
porthole
Retired
The best way not to make a mess (for the most part) is have someone else do it.
I have been changing oil, cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats etc since the 70's, and I still make a mess at times. Ask me sometime how I spread used diesel oil all over the driveway and myself someday
On my truck the filter is mounted vertical, makes it difficult to get the filter off without some splashing, and I always change the oil hot.
What I do is a use a wide pan, sometimes I use a transmission drain pan funnel, and before twisting the filter off I hammer a 12" landscape nail across the bottom (sharpened), about 2" up from the bottom to make sure I hit the inner can. This will still tend to make some mess puling the nail back out, but less then trying to spin off a 2 quart filter full of hot oil laying on our back.
I have been changing oil, cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats etc since the 70's, and I still make a mess at times. Ask me sometime how I spread used diesel oil all over the driveway and myself someday
On my truck the filter is mounted vertical, makes it difficult to get the filter off without some splashing, and I always change the oil hot.
What I do is a use a wide pan, sometimes I use a transmission drain pan funnel, and before twisting the filter off I hammer a 12" landscape nail across the bottom (sharpened), about 2" up from the bottom to make sure I hit the inner can. This will still tend to make some mess puling the nail back out, but less then trying to spin off a 2 quart filter full of hot oil laying on our back.
